Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4261, 16 November 1874, Page 2

Oub protest against tho sale of tho foreshore of Wellington harbor, by the Provincial Government, has had this good effect, at all events: it has caused tho provincial authorities, through their organ, openly to declare their intentions. Tho citizens of Wellington are told that the foreshore does not belong to them; that they have no claim upon it; and furthermore, tho province of Wellington is given to understand that neither has it any claim to tho harbor. It belongs to tho Provincial Government; and tho Provincial Government will deal with its own as it thinks proper. In this case, tho proper thing to do, it appears, is to realise upon tho harbor estate.

We state the position exactly. But it may be possible to be too clever by half. There is such a thing as over-reaching one’s self; and in this instance, we suspect the Superintendent is in that position. That portion of the foreshore over which he has control is a trust estate, vested in him as trustee for public purposes, and ought, in the nature of things, to be utilised for harbor improvements ; but His Honor and his advisers having fallen upon evil days of financial difficulty, have persuaded themselves that it is in accord with the spirit of the trust, because it is not expressly forbidden, to sell it as a job lot to speculators, and spend the money on other objects, thereby depriving the city of that portion of the public land; which should assist in defraying the cost of dock and wharf construction. We maintain that the sale of this tidal reserve would be a distinct violation of the true intent and spirit of the trust. The title is a good holding title; but wo question whether it is a good selling one. At all events, it is the bounden duty of the City Council and citizens of Wellington to use every lawful means to restrain the Superintendent from selling. In a few months at farthest after the next session of the General Assembly, the harbor endowments will vest in the Governor, and there will be no difficulty then in obtaining from the Government, (as in the case of Auckland,) the unalienated portion as a local endowment for harbor improvement purposes. And this brings us to the main point made by the Provincial Government in its published defence in an evening contemporary. It was urged, in full extenuation of the coarse about to be pm-sued by the Wellington Provincial Government, that no question has ever been raised at Auckland, Dunedin, or Lyttelton, about the land reclaimed from the sea belonging to the Provincial Government. We are told that in these places “ land reclaimed “ from the sea has always been reoog- “ nised and dealt with as the property “ of the Government.” The facts do not warrant this assertion, except partially in the case of Otago, where the Provincial Government has certainly alienated a great deal of the most valuable tidal land; at the same time, however, endowing the Harbor Board with a very considerable block of unreclaimed land, ■which can be turned to account at a comparatively small expenditure. Bui we hold that the example of the Otago Provincial Government is a most pernicious one in this particular. If the example of Auckland had been followed by Otago, to a certainty Dunedin would have had, within the next half-dozen years, a more commodious harbor for trading facilities than Wellington is likely to have for very many years to come, unless the Provincial Government be restrained from selling the tidal lands. As it is, the Otago Harbor Board is so crippled for money, through the action of the Provincial Government, that it cannot raise sufficient funds, on easy terms, to undertake at once the largo and comprehensive scheme of harbor improvement which is essential to the commercial supremacy of Dunedin. The mistake committed by the Superintendent of Otago should act as a warning to the Superintendent of Wellington, if he has, as lie professes to have, the well-being of tliis city and province at heart. Coming to Canterbury, there is the principal harbor of Port Lyttelton, and as our contemporary truly says, no question has been raised there as to the right of the Provincial Government to the land reclaimed from the sea. But what are the facts ? Has the Superintendent of Canterbury sold the foreshore at Port Lyttelton ? Has ho “ financed” for his Government on its credit for years, as has been done in Wellington, and then rushed it into the market in one lot to realise during his term of office, lest peradventure, it might become a municipal endowment, and aid in the improvement of the harbor ? Most certainly he has not. What is the Canterbury Government doing with its principal harbor! Why, at this moment it has in progress, and partially completed, a circular sea wall and breakwater, which will enclose waterspace sufficient to float a hundred squarerigged ships, besides all the coasting vessels, the sea wall and embankment being in connection with the railway System of the province, and traversed by the locomotive. We would advise the Superintendent and Provincial Secretary to take a run down to Lyttelton, and see the use to which the Provincial Council of Canterbury put the foreshore of that harbor. The trip would do them good, and wo are certain they would never be missed. Moreover, they would understand what wo meant, when we said that while the tidal land of Wellington was the patrimony of the citizens, the harbor belonged to tho province. The harbor works at Lyttelton aro paid for by the province of Canterbury. We now come to Auckland. The conduct of the Provincial Government of Auckland is in such marked contrast with tho conduct of the Wellington Executive in this matter, that we • are astonished its mouth-piece had the temerity to refer to Auckland. Every acre of tidal land, on both sides of Auckland harbor, ten or twelve miles of valuable water frontage, reclaimed and reclaimablo, has been handed over by the Provincial Government of Auckland, free of debt, to tho Auckland Harbor Board. Now what does that mean 1 It means that tho Provincial Council and Government of Auckland made a present to tho Harbor Board of a ■ very valuable estate—tho most valuable harbor estate most certainly in New Zealand—after having expended upon it, in permanent improvements, £100,448, together with a further sum of £25,000 to bo spent on harbor improvements, being tho amount advanced by the province in the construction of the Kaipara railway before it was taken over by tho General Government. This sum was returned to tho province, and appropriated by tho Provincial Council for harbor improvement works. That is what has been done in Auckland, with this further provision, that not one inch of the harbor estate can be alienated. The utmost tho Harbor Board can do is to lease it for ninety years. And in consequence of this liberal and wise conduct of the provincial authorities of Auckland, tho Harbor Board has been authorised to raise and spend £IOO,OOO in dock construction. Tho dock works will soon bo in progress. What can tho Superintendent of Wellington and his Executive think of themselves now that we have placed before tho public the conduct of other provinces in relation to tho improvement of their principal harbors 1 Do they think they shine by contrast ? For our own parts, wo do not like to characterise their conduct. But the organ of tho Provincial wreckers remarked, that if docks and wharves aro necessary for tho increasing trade of Wellington, why did not Mr. Y ooel, who professes to be a friend of Wellington, find tho money and construct them 1 The General Government, as such, has nothing to do with tho improvement of tho harbor., Tho colony found no money for Auckland, or Lyttelton, or Dunedin. Why

should it ? The tidal land, if properly managed, would suffice for the purpose ; and it is no answer to say that heretofore the reclaimed land in "Wellington harbor has been exceedingly ill managed, by not being turned to proper account for public purposes. But that is the sole defence made for the proposed sale. “ See what “ has been done already. We do not “ intend to do anything different from “ the things already done.” But too wrongs do not make one right ; and it is bettor, in this case at least, to repent and not do it than do it and repent. One other remark and we have done, leaving the financial point to a future occasion. We are told that we are aiding and abetting a “ring,” by questioning the security,—which we did not do until to-day,—thereby depreciating the value of tlm estate. How can that be, when we object to the sale under any circumstances 1 But are we to infer that at all hazards; —knowing that the title is not a good one, knowing that the fair value of the property will not be obtained ; —are wo to infer that the Provincial Government of Wellington is determined to bring this land to the hammer,- and destroy all reasonable hope that extensive harbor works will be projected and carried out here ? If so, and the inference is a fair one, then we say that the public have a right to invoke the intervention of the General Government. The provincial debt, secured on tho harbor—for in Wellington it is the which borrows from the harbor, while elsewhere tho provinces make advances to tho harbors, —would not be less secure than it is at this moment, if the Provincial Government ceased to have any control in the matter’. But we shall say, in conclusion, what we have intimated already, that if the Provincial Government carries out its design of selling any more of the tidal land in Wellington harbor, thereby preventing the construction of tidal and dry docks, and spacious wharves to facilitate commerce, the commercial position of the city will be insignificant by comparison, and its political influence will bo destroyed.